Water resources were taken for granted for decades, but now are seen critical for companies, communities and governments, as issues of environmental sustainability, both globally and in local context, come to the fore.

Researchers in Ukraine have developed an electronic tongue with a silicon surface that they say could be used to quality-check food and drinks and might also have applications in medical diagnostics, pharmaceutical testing and environmental monitoring.

Water management initiatives in the UK's food and drink industry have led to a 15.6 percent reduction in water use since 2007, when manufacturers in the sector made a commitment to use water more efficiently.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it had no new policy regarding aging of cheese on wooden boards, effectively easing concerns of U.S. cheesemakers that they might need to put an end to the practice.